DUNLAP, William, artist, born in Perth Amboy, New Jersey, in 1766; died in New
York City, 28 September 1839. He came to the City of New York in 1777, and
began to paint portraits, and in 1783 finished a likeness of Washington. In
1784 he went to London, where for several years he studied with Benjamin
West. Returning to the United States, Mr. Dunlap became engaged in various
artistic, dramatic, and other literary work. In 1789 "The Father," one of
his best plays, was produced on the stage.
In 1796 he became connected with Hallam and Hodgkinson in the management of
the old John Street Theater, and in 1798 assumed the management of the Park
Theater, where, early in the season, his tragedy "Andrè" was successfully
performed. During his administration, numerous imitations, alterations,
adaptations, and translations of German and other foreign authors were
successfully produced, many of which were published in pamphlet form, and held
the stage in after years. Mr. Dunlap continued as manager and co-manager of
the Park Theater for several seasons, until he was overtaken by financial
ruin. In 1814-1816 he served as assistant paymaster general of the New York
militia. Thereafter he again turned his attention to his early art, and
produced a series of large and imposing paintings, mostly scriptural, among
which "Christ Rejected," "Bearing the Cross," "Calvary," and "Death on the
Pale Horse" obtained considerable reputation.
The last named was publicly exhibited in most of the large cities of the
country. Mr. Dunlap is known as the founder and early vice president of the
National Academy of Design. Both as a writer and painter he was a man of more
than usual ability; but during a life of varied and ambitious experiment and
uninterrupted industry he never attained financial success. A "Dunlap
Society" was organized in New York City in 1886, for the purpose of preserving
the half-forgotten, meritorious plays of Dunlap and other older American
dramatists. In 1887 the society published, for distribution to its members, a
small edition of "The Father," one of his comedies, and the second play
written by an American author; and also a volume of "Poetic Addresses,"
spoken at the openings of early American theatres, since 1752. His writings
include a "Life of George Frederick Cooke" (London, 1813); "Life of Charles
Brockden Brown" (Philadelphia, 1815); "History of the American Theatre" (New
York, 1832: London, 1833); "History of the Rise and Progress of the Art of
Design in the United States" (New York, 1834); "Thirty Years Ago, Memoirs of a
Water Drinker" (1836); and "New Netherlands, Province of New York" (1840). He
wrote, translated, or adapted 63 plays.
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